Amusement device.



C. L. HAGEN.

'AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.26,. 1906.

liar/1618 PATBNTED FEB, 19, 1907.

C. L. HAGEN. AMUSEME-NT DEVICE.

APPLIUATION HLBD JAN.26,1906.

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PATENTED FEB. 19, 1907.

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AMUSEMBNT DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.26,1906.

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CLAUDE LoEArNE HAGEN, or NEW YORK, N. Y

ANIUSEIVIENT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed January 26.1906. Serial No. 298,084.

To @ZZ whom t may concern/.-

Be it known that I, CLAUDE LOEAINE HA- GEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of N ew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to amusement devices, and particularly to those illusion devices which create the impression that a person is going somewhere when in reality he is not progressing at all.

The object of this invention is the production of a device whereby to create the illusion of an aerial trip, to create all the sensations of ascending by an elevator to a tower airship station and thence by air-ship to an.- other tower-station, and then preferably by elevator to ground again.

` To the attainment of this object the invention consists in the structure, apparatus, paraphernalia, and combination of devices and apparatus herein described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, and therein Figure 1 represents, partly in section and partly in elevation, a device embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar representation thereof, ta ren in a vertical plane, the plane of section being indicated by the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 represents in plan the platform simulating the car of an air-ship. Fig. f1 represents a transverse vertical section through said platform, taken in the plane indicated by the line f1 4 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the room below the simulated airship. Fig. 6 is a representation in side elevation of one of the pairs of seats used in the car of the simulated air-ship 5 and Figs. 7 and S are detailed views of the pivoted and stationary vanes, respectively, for use in lieu of the hinged wings.

In carrying out the illusion of an aerial trip four rooms or compartments are provided, as seen in Fig. 1, wherein 7 indicates an anteroom entered by door S; 9, a room simulating the car of an elevator, the entrance to which is had through the door 10 and exit therefrom through door 11, the main room 12 representing a tower-station l t I l l l of a line of aerial navigation and which is entered through door 11 and 13 a room between the principal rooms for containing a part of the apparatus used for effecting the desired illusion.

In the anteroom above the elevator-door is a window 111, behind which a verticallymoving screen 15 is located and which has upon it the .representation of an elevator. This screen may be made to ascend or descend by any suitable well-known means, its ascent and descent indicating to people in the anteroom as they look through the window 14 that the elevator is ascending or returning frein the tower-station.

Room 9 has an opening or window in its side wall, back of which is a screen 16, preferably an endless screen mounted upon a pair of horizontal rollers. This screen has painted upon it such pictures as will give to the occupants of room 9 when the screen is moved about its rollers the impression that they are either ascending or descending in an elevator. The vertical travel of this screen may be effected by any of the well-known means used for such purpose.

In room 12 a platform, preferably having a railing 1S, is si'spended by any suitable means-as, for example, by ropes or cables 1 Q-from the ceiling of the room, as indicated. This platform simi` lates the car of an air-ship. Above it, srspended from the ceiling of the room, is a sheet of fabric 20, arranged in a convex form to represent the lower surface of the gas-bag of a dirigible balloon or air-ship. Extending from the edges of this fabric there are suspended view-intern pting shield 21 to a point above the heads of occi pants of the car and from the lower edge of this shield netting, as 22, such as izscd in air-ships, extends to the railing 1S. Projecting from the outer edge of the platform and on either side are what may be termed u ings 23, which are preferably hinged to the car, as seen in Fig. 1, and which, if desired, may be moved about the hinge byl any si itable means to aid in the ilhision that the device is propelled thereby. These wings also serve another purpose, whether moved or not, namely, that of catching the eye of the occi pants of the car and also preventing them from seeing more of the floor of the room, and particularly shielding from view the opening through the floor ofthe room 12 into room 13.

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likewise hinged The side walls of room 12 are prepared in any suitable way for the projection thereonto of 1 moving pictures to give the impression to the occupants of the car that the simulated airship is moving. Preferably these walls are rovided with picture-screens, such as indil cated at 24 in Fig. 2. At the ends of the car vertical screens may be placed, such as indicated at 25 in Fig. 3, to interrupt the line of i vision in those directions, so as to confine it l to the sides of the room. These end screens may bear an inscription, such as Engineroom, Fig. 4, to assist in the illusion. The moving pictures to be thrown upon the screens at the sides of the room may be projected from suitable picture-machines located l in any desired position for accomplishing the purpose; but preferably they are located upon the sides of the shield 21, as indicated at 26 in Fig. 2.

In addition to the illusions thus produced by a view from the sides of the car there is provided a further illusion by making an opening through the middle of the platform representing the car of the air-ship, as indicated at 27 in Figs. 3 and 4. About this opening there is preferably a railing 2S, and L across this opening there is preferably a plate of glass or other transparent material, as i illustrated, though this may be omitted, if desired. ln the floor of room 12, which is likewise the ceiling of room 13, in registry with opening 27 and preferably of larger eX- tent, there is an opening 29. ln this opening there may be placed a transparent picturescreen, as 30, Figs. 1 and 2, or a plate of glass or other transparent material, as indicated at 31 in Fig. 5. When the transparent screen 30 is employed, moving pictures may be projected upon it, as by means of the machine indicated at 32, Figs. 1 and 2. The picture-screen, though, may be on the Hoor of room 13, as seen in Fig. 5, when the pictureprojecting machine may be located substantially as indicated at 33. ln this last arrangement the transparent plate 31 may, if desired, be omitted. Itis, however, preferably employed to prevent anything from dropping through onto the picture screen.

The oar is preferably provided with seats, and in order to accommodate as great a number of persons as possible in the limited space and to provide for their readily changing position, so as to watch the view at the sides of the car or that to be seen through the opening in its bottom, a special construction of seat is adopted. These seats are made in pairs by hinging the bottoms 34 to opposite sides of standards 35, which standards are disposed 5 radially with respect to the center of the car, and said bottoms are supported in horizontal l position, preferably by swinging braces 36, l

to the standards. Seats thus constructed may be so closely placed that the bottoms when in horizontal position l shall nearly touch one another, as indicated in Fig. 3, and yet when swung up will provide ready passage from one side of the row of seats to the other.

The platform or floor of the simulated car may be of any desired elevation with relation to the floor of room 12 and when raised more than an easy step therefrom may be reached by a 'liight of steps, (represented at 37.) Gates through the railing 1S may be provided at one end of the car, as at 3S.

To give the aerial travelers the impression that they are moving swiftly through the air, fans or blowers, as indicated at 39, may be so located as to drive currents of air through the car from one direction or another, as desired. Also to impress upon them the altitude to which they have attained the currents of air may be changed in temperature by causing the air circulated by the fans to enter the room through a refrigerating-coil of any suitable construction, as typified at 40. The fans also serve another useful purpose. They cause any peanut-shucks or other things dropped from the cars to float rapidly away, as though the car were really moving, instead of resting, as they otherwise might, upon the screen or glass in the ioor of room 12. This illusion is particularly heightened by the omission of the glass from the bottom of the car, thereby giving free passage for dropped articles downA into the currents of air below the car.

Obviously many variations in the structure association, and combination of parts and devices described and illustrated in the above disclosure of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Y

ln lieu of the hinged wings 23, pivoted or stationary vanes, as indicated at 23a and 23h, in Figs. 7 and 8, respectively, may be substituted and painted screens used instead of the picture-screens 24. It is obvious that the car or platform in room 12 may be supported by one or more uprights from the floor instead of supported as shown, Aif desired.

T he invention claimed is- 1. In an amusement device, the combination vof a platform simulating the car of an air-ship, a view-opening through the bottom of the simulated car, a picture-screen in the range of said opening and a picture-machine for projecting moving pictures upon said screen for the purpose set forth.

2. In an amusement device, the combination of a platform simulating the car of an air-ship, a view-opening through the bottom of the simulated car, a sheet of transparent l material in said opening and means for pro- `iecting moving pictures into the field viewed through said opening.

3. In an amusement device, the combination of a platform simulating the car of an air-ship, a view-opening through the bottom TCO of the simulated car, a picturescreen in view through said opening, picture-screens in view at the sides of said simulated car and picture- 5 machines for projecting moving pictures upon said screens.

4. In an amusement device, a platform simulating the car of an air-ship, view-interrupting shields at the ends of the simulated car, picture-screens in view from the sides of the car, view-interrupting shields above the sides of the car and picture-machines mounted on said shields for projecting moving pictures upon said screens. l

5. In an amusement device, the combinal tion with a platform simulating the car of an air-ship and having a v.iew-o[.)ening through l its floor, of seats arranged about said car, the j bottoms whereof are hinged at one side whereby they may be swung up so that a person may readily shift his position from that of looking out from said ear to that of looking through said opening and means for pro- `jecting moving pictures into view from the sides of said car and through said opening.

6. In an amusement device, a suspended y' platform having a railing about its eiilge and t an opening through its middle with a railing about said opening 1n combination with i wings attached to the outer edge of said platform and a fabric suspended above the platform, the whole simulating the car of an airl. ship.

7. In an amusement device, a room, a structure simulating' an air-ship suspended in said room, and having a view-opening through the bottom of its car, a room below said car, a picture-screen in said room and means for projecting moving pictures upon said screen in the range of vision from said car.

S. In an amusement device, a room, a structure sinnilating an air-ship suspended in said room, and having a viewopening through the bottom of its car, a room below said car, an opening in the ceiling of said room in registry with the opening in the bottom of said car, a picture-screen on the Hoor of said room in view from said opening and means for projecting moving pictures upon said screen for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I alii): my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLAUDE LORAINE HAGEN.

litnessesr Josnrn R. EDsoN, W. CLARENCE DUVALL. 

